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♫ Clean Up! Clean Up! Everybody, Everywhere ♫ 

Earth Day may have passed in April but it's never too late to celebrate. 

Because if the Earth dies... well... it won't be good. 

So remember the 3 R's.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. 

Turn off the lights when you leave a room.

Don't let the water run while you brush your teeth.

Repurpose old furniture and other household items. 

An old towel can be cut into rags to mop the floor. 

Plastic grocery bags can be used to line small trash cans. 

You can also sort through old clothes and donate them to the needy. 

These little things go a long way in reducing waste and saving energy.

Another easy way to do that is to declutter and get organized. 

Closet, drawers, toybox, so many options. Hmmm. 

Let's start with your school supplies. 

This week, we're going to craft a simple desk organizer.

First, find a small cardboard box. Shoe boxes are ideal. 

Then, get some paper towel rolls, markers, tape, paint, and some scissors.

Lastly, pick a theme. We chose an exotic jungle.

Step 1

Take Apart Cardboard Box. 

Separate at the corners for flexibility and cut off one of the longer sides.

Step 2

Cut Out A Jungle Outline. 

The outline should reflect your theme.

For a jungle, draw some trees and bushes with a Sharpie.

Then, cut over the line. Cardboard is tough, so maybe get a grownup to help you.

Step 3

Make Different-Sized "Holders."

Use paper towel rolls (or toilet paper) and cut in halves for variety. 

Step 4

Add In An Animal. 

Repeat Step 2 on a different piece of cardboard.

You can add in one animal or several.

A different theme would call for a different prop like a crown for a princess theme.

Step 5

Put it all together.

Paint everything (or color with markers). Throw in some details like grass and flowers. 

Once dry, tape down your rolls/props to the box. 

And finally, DECORATE! Add some foam flowers, sprinkle on some glitter, etc. 

POOF!

The longer rolls hold scissors and pens while the shorter ones are good for crayons and paper clips.

How did yours turn out?

Create more recycled art using the materials below. 

Paper rolls, egg cartons, bottle caps, newspaper, all great for crafting and super easy to upcycle. 

Build a lap top with a cereal box or wind chimes out of old tin cans.

Whatever the case, we'd love to see what you've made!

Snap a couple of photos, tag them #DPCrafternoons and share with us on Facebook and Instagram.

You know the drill.

Check back in next week for more awesomeness!